Variable-speed drive



Oct. 5 1926.

J. N. M ARTlN VARIABLE SPEED D RIVE 2 'Sheets-'Sheet l r V///// /l ////////////////////////////K/ INVENT DH JUEEF'H-NMAHTIN Original Filed July 3 I 1 r// ///////7/AAAAWAAA Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

JosErH NOBLE -MAETIN, or TORONTO, oiv'rnnm; orNnnA.

mmer;

, VARIABLE-SPEED DEEVE.

Applicat-onfiled July 3, 1924, Serial No. 724115. Renewedhngnst 18, 1526.'`

My invention relates to improvementsin e varable speed invention is to -devise simple means by which the. speed` of the driven shaft to the 'drive shaft may be. vared to any ratio: desired without the employment-of the gear Shift/ and consequent danger of gear strppng,.

and it consistsessentially of a cylindrical casing in one head of which the driving i shaft isjournalled, and in the otherhead of whichthe driven shaft, is journalled, and

fluid control means located within the casing i for forming a driving connection. between the driving .and driven shaft, as hereafter more particnlarly explained by the following specification.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken on line 1- -l, 2-

Fg. 2 is a sectionallplan View on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional -detail online 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of one of the piston heads employed in my device.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through Fig. 4.

In the drawings like characters of refer-v ence indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

1 indicates a cylindrical casing provided with heads 2 and 3.

4 is a driving shaft upon which is slidably monnted a tubular shaft 5 which is journalled in the bearingorifice 2* of the head 2. A driven shaft 4 is journalled in the hearing orifice 3 of the head 3.

6 is a difierential gear seoured to the driven shaft 4 7 is a difierential gear opposing the gear 6 and secured to the driving shaft 4.

8 are planetary pinions, the shafts 8 of which are journalled in the frame 9, each shaft being provided with crank arms 8.

10 is an annular frame in which the opposite or outer ends of the shafts 8 are journalled.

11 and 12 are tubes curved at one end so as together to form a U, the arms of which are formed integral with the frame 10, as indicated at 10* in Fig. 1.

12 are pistons. A piston 12 operates within each arm of the' U shaped tubes 11 and 12, each piston being connected by a pisten rod 13 to a corresponding crank arm 8. Each of the U shaped tnbes are divided intermediately in the base of the` U forming a slotted opening 14 in which drives, andthe object' of the erreta;

operates a gat-e valvewhich 'I will now de: v

scribe.

15- are wings extending outward from` tween the openlower ends -ofthe tnbesxll:

It will be understoodtha-t: the casingl is filled with oil orother suitable fluid which also fills the tubes` l l and 12, the` entire nechanism comprising the annular member-1` *10,tubes-l1 and 12 diiierential gears, crank arms 8 and pistons 12 runningnin the oil::

When the gate valve 15 is .intheclosed`- position 'or the position shown in the drawing, the flow of oil from one arm of the U shapedtube 11 or 12 to the other arm is r entirely cut of and ther-efore the pistons 12 are locked from movement by the oil compressed between them and the gate valve and thereby preventing the movement of the piston rods 13, cranks 8 and planetary pini-ons 8 which are thereby locked between the gears 9 and 7 and thereby locking the driving shaft 4 to the driven shaft 4 so that they rotate in unisnor in one to one ratio. i

The sleeve 5 is provided with an annnlar grooved collar 5 which is engaged bythe Operating lever so as to adjust the sleeve to any desired position and thereby adjust the gate valve to a more or less withdrawn position between the inner opposing ends of the members of the tubes 11 and 12. When the gatevalve is partially withdrawn, a controlled flow of oil is provided varying in proportion to the distance to which the gate valve is opened from one arm of each tube 11 or 12 to the other arm of eachtube ll or 12, thereby controlling the movement of the pistons l2 within such arms, and thereby varying the drivingratio between the drive and driven shafts. When the gate valve is fully opened the driving connection between the' drive and driven shafts is broken. i

By moving thegate valve inward so as to choke the flow oi' oil to a greater or less eXtent between the members of the tubes 11 and 12, the reciprocaton of the pistons 12 is impeded, and thereby decreases the rotation of the planetary gears 8 so as to decrease the speed ratio between the gears 6 and 7 and the driving and driven shafts 4 and 4 By this 'means it will be readily seen that any driving speed between the 'driving and driven shaft may be provided without any gear changing and consequent danger of stripping gears and other disadvantages which occur through the employment of the usual change gears.

In order to break any vacuum which might be formed between the gate valve 15 and the pistons 123 I provide a valve 16 which may be of any suitable form. Such valve will be forced to the open position during the return or suction stroke, so as to permit the oil to pass from one side of the piston to the other during' such return or suction stroke, and to the closed position during the forward or compression stroke to prevent such passage of oil during such forward or compression stroke.

What I claim as my invention is:

In a variable speed drive, the combination With a driving shaft and driven shaft, of a closed fluid containing housing into which the driving and driven shatt extend,

dift'erential gear mechanism connecting the driving and driven shaft provided with planetary pinions, an annular frame surrounding the diti'erential gear mechanism, shafts for the dfl' erential pinions journalled at their outer end in the annular fra'me, a pair of U-shaped tubular members extending longitudinally of the housing and set at right angles one to the other, a piston located in the arm of each tubular member, a driving connection between each piston and each dilterential pinion shaft adapted to move one pair of pistons located' in the diametrically opposite tubular arms together in the same direction, and the other pair located in the other tubular arms set at right angles to the aforesaid tubular arms together in the opposite direction, and means for controlling the flow of fluid from one arm of one pair into the corresponding' arm of the other pair adapted to vary the resistance of the fluid in each tubular arm dur'- ing the compression stroke of the piston.

JOSEPH NOBLE MARTIN; 

